One Powerful Dude

Time for one of my less frequent trips to the barber shop these days. But I love going there. This one-seater shop, that I've written about before, is the focus of heated politics in a suburb of Portland, OR and almost always has loud arguments going on as you walk in the door. Thursday was no exception.

The barber - we'll call him Eddie - is a progressive liberal who wouldn't care what the label meant. He basically despises anybody named Bush and anybody who works for him. Pretty smart guy for someone who didn't finish high school.

In Eddie's chair is Denny, a Bush-loving self-described patriot with the requisite two yellow magnetic ribbons on his - you guessed it - massive SUV. Hard to get more stereotyped of the two sides of our country these days.

They are in the middle of a heated Sheehan/Crawford Texas argument, so loud I can hear it as I got out of my car down the street. I came in the door:

Eddie to Denny: Don't you know an idiot when you see one, or is that because you are one too?

Denny to Eddie: Look you terrorist loving coddler, get your head out of your a..

(Are you getting the picture, readers?)

Denny to me walking in the door: I hope you are a Republican and can talk some sense into this screwball.

Me: That screwball has a straight razor in his hand.

Eddie laughs hysterically.

Denny: well I don't care what you meatballs think. I've met George W. Bush and you can just feel the enormous power he has when he gets close to you.

Me: And your point is???

Denny: I'm telling you, this guy is powerful - he oozes power and people ought to respect that. He's the President of the United States!

Me: 'Ooze' is the right word. And he's got power all right, but power out of control is dangerous beyond belief, in his position.

Denny throwing money at Eddie and going out the door: You guys are throwing away my country.

Eddie getting in a last shot: Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you!

(Note: Eddie & Denny have known each other for years and are good friends)